Is Https Really Worth It?

Last week Google’s Matt Cutts said the secure sites using the HTTPS protocol would get better rankings.

This immediately caused people to panic. What’s HTTPS and what do I have to do to keep my ranking. There was even a post in an SEO Copywriting LinkedIn group asking if everyone was going to start recommending their clients get a security certificate, install it, and then use https.

It shows you how much people try to keep up with what I call the bleeding edge.

I did respond to that question and basically said I’d wait until the dust settled and actually saw sites lose ranking because they were not secure sites. Well, it’s been a week and it looks like the dust is beginning to settle.

Search Engine Land posted this article today, “Google Says HTTPS Is A Ranking Signal, But It’s Not Really” and in my opinion author Daniel Cristo is spot on. It’s a quick read and sums up the situation well.

My bottom line as you have heard before is if it’s good for your site visitors, then do it. If it’s not, then you are wasting your time. Because ultimately, is your readers that matter. And this goes for all matters of SEO.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this – please comment below.

Here’s to focused forward progress!